Capo tasto



A; c. WHITEMAN CAPO TASTO Filed March 8, 1922 INVENTOR. 0 6 1 v. I I d 4 HTTORNEV.

Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES ALVA C. WHITE-MAN, OFCINCINNATI, OHIO.

GAPO TASTO.

Application filed March 8, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVA C. VI-IITEMAN, a citizenof the United States, residing at the city of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of 0hio,have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in a Capo Tasto, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for changing stringed instruments, such as guitars, banjos, and the like from high to low pitch or vice versa, without pause in the playing of such instrument.

My invention is exemplified in an attachment, carrying at its extended end a capo tasto, which may be moved forwardly or backwardly at will, the attachment being telescopic in operation, thus enabling the player to immediately move the capo tasto to the point desired, enabling him to at once procure the pitch desired and necessary at a given time, to play the music properly as to pitch, and thus play in the proper key.

The capo tasto of my invention can be used fiat or can be made slightly curved or as sume a shape usually used in guitars, banjos and the like having necks of varying contour.

Its various features and advantages will readily become apparent from the following specification v In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the neck and head of a guitar, partly broken away, with my attachment in position thereon and in extended form,

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of parts as shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a side view of the attachment removed from the stringed instrument, and in extended form, parts being in elevation and parts being in section, and

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the capo tasto to illustrate the positions it may assume, in dotted lines.

The neck of the guitar, banjo, or like stringed instrument is marked 1, and 2 is the head; the strings 3 are arranged inthe usual manner, and 4, 4, represent the usual frets and 5 is the nut used in this class of instruments over which the strings pass and are held in alignment. The strings are connected at the head in any preferred or usual Serial No. 542,012.

manner and are tightened or loosened by means 6-7.

The attachment consists of a barrel or cylinder 8, held on the head 2 of the instrument by a pin or stud 9 passing thru the head and, being pivoted at 10 to the said barrel 8, and said pin at its lower extremity being screw threaded as shown at 13 so that the nut 12 can work up and. down on said threads 13; between the nut 12 and a washer 14, I place a coiled spring 15 around the pin 9, which spring 15 is stressed when upon the instrument, see particularly Fig. 2.

A band 16 holds the pin 9 upon the barrel 8.

At its opposite end the barrel 8 has connected thereto a supporting arm 17, held on the barrel 8 by a band 18, being pivoted to the band at point 19. The support 17 is screw threaded at 20, a sleeve 21 passing around the same, so that the support can be made longer or shorter by screwing the nut 22, up or down on the threads a plug of rubber or soft material being carried at the extremity of the supporting arm.

Into the barrel 8 I telescope the sections 23 and 24, the section 24 telescoping into section 23 and both telescoping into the barrel or main section 8; these telescoping parts are so made and arranged that they will not pull apart when extended. I may use as many sections as found desirable.

The capo tasto element of the attachment is formed of a head part and the end of the telescoping section 24, (which is preferably a rod), passes therethru, the head 30 being connected so it will swing or turn thereon; beneath the head 30 I connect a plate 31 usually formed of spring brass and held in position and alignment with the head 30 by pins or screws 32. The plate 31 at its ends is bent down to form clamping members 33,which hold the leather face 34 in alignment and touch with the bottom of plate 31; I may use any other material than leather to make the face 34. In order to adjust the capo tasto to fit curved necks or other shapes of instrument necks, I use two adjusting screws 35, which pass thru the head 30 and can be screwed down upon and impinge against the plate 31 at its ends, and thus force said plate to assume a curved form to fit the contour of the neck of the instrument. For this construction, see particularly Fig. 4, in which the dotted lines illustrate the plate 31 and its leather face 34; in a curved form.

The head 30, plate 31, and face 34: make up the capo tasto itself.

At the end of the head part 2 I connect in any suitable manner, a small box-like holder 50, into which the plug 25 of the support 17 lits, so as to keep the support and the attachment in alignment and prevent lateral play; the plug 25 can readily be moved into and out of the said holder 50.

The pin, pivoted at 10, being always pulled downwardly by the stress of spring 15; and the pin 9 being connected with th; barrel 8 of the telescopic attachment, always has a tendency to pull the attachment and its parts downwardly; thus it will be noticeable in Fig. 2, where the capo tasto 30 is positioned at 40, that the strings near the fret at said point, where the capo tasto is placed upon said strings, are somewhat depressed.

lt is evident that the capo tasto can be placed at any point desired when the operator begins to play, and during the playing, if he wishes to change the pitch, or tune, or key, he can do so by sliding the capo tasto to the particular point desired near any of the frets, Without stopping the playing or without any undue inconvenience; thus better and uninterrupted music is the result.

When the attachment is out of use for any reason, or its use is not needed at the time, by moving the support or pin 17 on its pivotal point 19 forwardly the entire at tachment will assume a position substantially parallel with the upper face of the head 2, and will not interfere with the use of the instrument.

It will be readily obvious that I may use this attachment upon any kind of an instrument in connection with which it can be operated, and also, that I may modify and change the same to some degree without departing from the spirit and principle of the invention.

WVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a stringed musical instrument having a head, of a string engaging element extending vacross the strings and freely movable longitudinally of the strings, and supporting means for said string engaging element resiliently attached to said head and formed of elements per- .mitting the string engaging element to be freely shifted at all times longitudinally of the strings by the application of force to opposite sides of said string engaging element only.

2. The combination with a stringed musical instrument having a head, of a string engaging element extending across the strings, a supporting tube connected to the head, and telescopic rods connected to said tube and to the string engaging element, said rods being freely movable relatively to one another to permit the string engaging element to be shifted freely by the operator.

The combination with a stringed musical instrument having a head, of astring engaging element extending across the strings, a post mounted on said head, a pin extending through the head, a tube connected to the post and pin, telescopic rods connected to the tube and to the string engaging element, and resilient means cooperating with the pin for forcing the string engaging element toward the strings.

4. The combination with a fretted stringed musical instrument, of an adjustable post resting on the head of the musical instrument, telescopic rods connected to said post and extending longitudinally of the instrument, a string engaging element carried by one of said rods, a pin pivotally connected to one of said telescopic rods and extending through the musical instrument, and a spring arranged on said pin for yieldingly forcing the string engaging element towards the strings.

5. The combination with afretted stringed musical instrument, of a cup resting on the head of said instrument, an extensible post resting in said cup, a tube pivotally connected to the upper end of said post, telescopic rods connected to said tube, a string en aging element connected to one of said rods and shiftable longitudinally of the strings, a pin pivotally connected to said tube and extending through the head of the musical instrument, and a spring arranged on said pin to yieldingly force the string engaging element towards the strings.

6. In a capo tasto attachment for fretted string musical instruments including a string engaging element consisting of a support extending across the strings of a musical instrument, a leaf spring arranged longitudinally of said support and having its central portion fixed to the support and its ends unsecured to said support, a yield ing pad connected to said spring, and adjustable impinging elements connected to said support and movable toward and away from the ends of said spring for flexing the latter.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature at Cincinnati, Ohio, this 3rd day of March, 1922.

ALVA G. VVHITEMAN. 

